Tesla sends upgraded charger adapters to Model S owners

Tesla Motors Inc. is upgrading wall charger adapters following reports of them overheating in garages. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk told Bloomberg in an interview. “These are very rare events, but occasionally the wiring isn’t done right,” Musk said, adding that they want people to have “absolute comfort,” so they will provide them with an upgraded adapter.

Musk said that a software update provided to customers in December to address the same issue should already be helping to provide an extra margin of safety. He said that the redesigned plug adapter is another step to make sure that any overheating won’t result to fires. The redesigned adapter will feature a thermal fuse that will shut off charging if overheating is detected.

According to Tesla, its Model S and charging system didn’t cause a fire in a Southern California garage in December. The carmaker added that while there was a fire at the wall socket where the vehicle was plugged in, the Model S wasn’t burned. Investigators found that the fire had nothing to do with the battery, the Orange County Fire Authority said.